Food was very good but doesn’t match the top quality restaurants in Edinburgh that charge the same money. We had the smoked pigeon and macaroni and crab for starters and then Hake for me and Halibut for Adele. The flavour was great and the meal filling. We shared a cheese board of local cheese which was excellent.
We werent expecting much when we stopped here for lunch as we read mo reviews and it was pure coincidence but the food and service here was impeccable, very fresh and tasty and made with such elegance. Highly recommend
Excellent lunch and great eminence! You can choose to sit indoor or outdoor, which was super nice on a sunny day.
Truffled macaroni was our favorite starter. Our favorite main course was the pork 2 ways.
Just popped in to try a couple of whiskies before dinner. Lucky to get the final 2 seats in the bar (around 7pm time)
Not being a whisky drinker we asked for advice and the bar man said he always recommends the local ones as not only are they good but they're also small batch.
We took his advice and had a dram each of a bottle that had dolphins on the label from the Thompson Bros Distillery (just next door) we had it straight up (the horror on his face when we asked for one ice cube :) )it was really very good. A slight burn of the throat but extremely smooth. We had time to try another, this time I asked to try a speyside. I smelt it and it was almost sherry smelling. 11 year Glenallachie. This was nice but i preferred the first one. The cost of each dram was £5 the price varies obviously depending on what you pick.
Cosy atmosphere in the bar area wide choice of other drinks too and an outside space.
Fabulous food in a room overlooking the castle garden with fantastic service from the young staff , I had the monkfish with purple potatoes and greens and it was excellent served with a really good Malbec , it is expensive but you pay for the food and presentation , background music which was quite contemporary was a bit jarring for the castle environment and upmarket status but maybe it was just me.
The bar in the depths of the castle is fantastic , a well-stocked bar with large comfortable sofas round a huge wood burning fire was just what was needed after a long day , was the only place we went back to in our 4 days in Dornoch because we liked it so much.
CJ-Advisor Claudia Jakobs
+4
In the Castle Whisky Bar we enjoyed the atmosphere and a tailor-made whisky flight.
Restaurant is a bit noisy; but warm welcome and friendly service. We had a delicious starter and a very well presented and tasteful main course. Highlight: The whiskey bar !
Excellent food in a pleasant dining room. Staff were friendly and effective. The food was extremely tasty, well cooked and presented. We’d definitely visit again when up in Dornoch.
Cozy rooms with modern amenities, a great bar and fantastic restaurant. Very nice.
We had a fantastic stay at the Castle Hotel - 2 adults and two children aged 5 and 6. Room 12 was just a treat and a half. Everything was perfect - even the temperature in the room. Very comfortable beds and lovely bedding. Breakfast was perfect. We didn't sit in the bar as wanted to get kids settled but the open fire was very welcoming. All of the staff were friendly and did what they could. We would love to rush back and definitely recommend this castle hotel. Oh their own gin was tasty too. Thank you.
Cosy drinks in the bar, followed by moving outside to see the New Year in. Wonderful with the piper on the roof and spectacular fire works. Then back in for more drinks. A lovely evening in a beautiful place with lovely staff!
After a disappointing introduction we had an excellent meal at the Grant MacNicol restaurant on Sunday 19th September. We arrived 15 minutes early and a surly receptionist told us to sit at a table in the empty bar (no service provided) because they were busy seating a party of 25 who’d just arrived. Once we went into the restaurant the atmosphere couldn’t have been more different with excellent friendly staff and superb food. We really enjoyed the whole experience once we got past the dingy bar and would suggest maybe having one of the restaurant staff greeting pre-booked diners rather than leaving them to the bar and reception staff.
Such an amazing place. If you have the opportunity, you should visit. The food is great, the staff is amazing, and the whisky selection is out of this world. My wife and I stayed in a castle room and we only had our expectations exceeded. The town itself is also full of activities to explore, so please visit.
Susanna “Sussu” Foreman
+5
Delicious food and drinks and good entertainment!
The building, staff, and food all exceeded our expectations. The whisky bar was particularly awesome.
On our trip, this was easily our favorite place that we stayed; and we stayed at 9 different places, including another castle hotel that was supposed to be nicer! A very charming place.
A nice hotel with a great bar. The barman was friendly and very knowledgeable. The bed was comfortable and the room was well appointed. There are just two things that prevent this from being a five star review. Firstly, the bathroom was very dated and out of keeping with the rustic nature of the building. This was coupled with some poor quality tiling in the WC in the turret. Secondly, the doors to the room and the en-suite were the cheap kind you might pick up at B&Q for a rental property. They were lightweight and again not fitting with the building or the price point of the room. These issues are perhaps reminiscent of when the building was last refurbished, however they do detract from the overall experience of what is an otherwise good place to stay.
Stayed here on an Itison deal which was good vfm.
Room lovely, breakfast lovely, staff lovely and friendly. Girl serving breakfast knows food etiquette and nice and friendly. Didn't have dinner here as veggie choices shown online were few and leaned more towards the carnivores and also as it's an award winning restaurant the prices were a bit higher than we wanted to pay.
We were at the back end of the hotel which was nice and quiet. Fortunately we were well away from the kitchen extract fan which is noisy outside some of the rooms. The bathroom was functional but could do with a bit of modernising but as the hotel is up for sale think it and the fan will need to wait.
Nice selection of whisky, although I didn't try any because I was driving. Got only a coffee and it was really nice. So was the staff and the interior of the bar. Definitely would return if I'm ever around again (for whisky now).
The best staff. So knowledgeable and helpful. It was my mother's birthday and they poor her a whiskey from her birth yr. The bar tender also spent the time explaining and giving the back story of the whiskey she was drinking. Highly recommend.
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